What the other papers say this morning
FINANCIAL TIMES
Bidders say rail flaws spotted in 2011
The Department for Transport was alerted to errors in the bid documentation for the West Coast main line franchise as long ago as May of last year, suggesting there were problems from the outset with the handling of the tender scrapped by the government earlier this month.
Two of the four shortlisted bidders for the franchise have said that they discovered flaws in the initial documentation sent out. These were only corrected after they told government officials the numbers did not add up.
US hits out over McKinnon ruling
The US assistant attorney-general has hit out at the UK for waiting until the last minute to block the extradition of Gary McKinnon, the computer hacker charged with breaking into systems at Nasa and the Pentagon.
Tory MPs fear child benefit backlash
George Osborne was warned by Tory MPs to expect a voter backlash and “widespread non-compliance” as he prepares to roll out his plan to remove child benefit from better-off taxpayers.
THE TIMES
EDF: We aren’t trying to lift prices
The boss of EDF Energy has rejected a claim that nuclear power companies have a “perverse incentive” to exaggerate the cost of building new reactors so that they can charge more for selling electricity.
Tech City chief’s face didn’t fit
Facebook planned to replace its European boss because of dissatisfaction with her work before she grabbed a lucrative taxpayer-funded post as the head of the Tech City project, it has been claimed.
The Daily Telegraph
Salmond denies barefaced euro lies
Alex Salmond has been called a “barefaced liar” by Scottish Labour over allegations he falsely claimed to hold legal advice showing an independent Scotland would not be forced to join the euro.
O2 creates 30,000 work experience opportunities
Mobile phone giant O2 is to help create thousands of work experience placements for young people in a £5m campaign to curb youth unemployment.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
EU tobacco payment probe widens
Ex-EU health boss John Dalli met his political associate Silvio Zammit before Zammit first requested a €60m (£49m) payment from a tobacco lobbyist, said people familiar with the biggest corruption probe to hit the EU in years.
Zynga cuts five per cent of staff
Facebook game maker Zynga is cutting staff for the first time in the social-games maker’s brief history, by parting ways with about five per cent of its workforce.